Manchester United host Juventus later in the day in what promises to be a mouthwatering Champions League clash.
Tonight, the visitors’ number 7 Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Old Trafford where he made a name for himself and won the first of his five Balon d’Or awards, and almost a decade after he left the club, the Red Devils are still yet to get a perfect replacement for him.
Manchester United have seen the likes of Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Angel di Maria, Memphis Depay, and Anthony Martial try to dominate the wings and score goals after goals like the Portuguese legend did, but nobody has ever come close.
However, Ronaldo’s successor might currently be within the club’s youth ranks from the look of things, and he might even be on the bench tonight, or right behind them, watching.
The 18-year-old has quickly progressed through the ranks since arriving from Feyenoord in July 2016, and recently impressed manager Jose Mourinho and the coaching staff during the side’s pre-season tour of the United States.
Chong has been a key player for the Under-23’s this season, and did bag a brace in last Friday’s 3-0 win over their Sunderland counterparts.
With Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard ruled out of tonight’s clash through injury, the Netherlands youth international could be named in Mourinho’s 18-man squad having been added to their Champions League squad last month.
Without a doubt, Chong’s future is very bright, and with the senior side in need of more attacking firepower on the flanks, the Curacao-born winger could be next to make the grade from the youth setup.
Given his talents and huge potential, though, he could even end up being the perfect Ronaldo replacement Manchester United have continued to seek since 2009.
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